Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him. [John 7:40-43]
Each time I have read these particular verses above, something keeps amazing me and I keep wondering “how come Jesus became a source of division”. “So there was a division among the people because of him”, how does that sound to you? How can the prince of Peace become a cause for division? But then I ask myself a question, did the division originate from Jesus himself? Absolutely no! So from where comes the men’s division? Let’s see: When they heard this saying (Jesus’ saying John 7:37-39), Many of the people therefore said ‘Of a truth this is the Prophet’. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? Bible says “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?” (James 4:1).
Come to think of it, Is Christ not the Prophet? Is He not also the Christ? So why were they still divided? Yet something shocks me more, I see men using the scripture to defend their ignorance and shortsightedness: they said, “Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” Maybe you have only seen this literally, but I see the state of today’s church. I see how we have so divided ourselves because of ignorance and shortsightedness. I see how inflexible we are in tolerating one another and accommodating one another. I see how we have seen the same Jesus from varying perspectives and how we have not properly and fully seen the Lord.
Who says it is Jesus that divides? Is He not One Lord and One Body? Scripture says “And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ’s full stature” (Ephesians 4:13 GNB). Friend, how have you seen Jesus? And in what ways have you contributed to the present division in the Body? Selah!
